Condolences on the death of Queen Elizabeth II: Expressing collective identities and ideological stances

This article analyses diplomatic condolences offered on the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch. Based on official statements by a number of leading figures in the core Anglosphere world, it explores their ideological meaning. It suggests that, despite the different views and interests that core Anglosphere leaders hold, they try to conceptualize a ‘collective/group identity’ by belonging to an ‘imagined community’. This identity is constructed by means of an imagined ‘other’ and is performed by focusing on certain contents/topics. Using an interdisciplinary Critical Discourse Analysis approach particularly through the identities and social actor representations, the article sets out to uncover the group identities and implicit ideologies embedded in this type of communication.